This invention relates generally to material handling apparatus and relates, more particularly, to apparatus used to lift and support an item, such as a spool about which material is wound or can be wound, as the item is rotated for the purpose of either unwinding the material from the item or winding the material about the item.
At a construction job site, an item, such as a relatively large spool of coiled material, such as wire or cable, is commonly desired to be supported above a floor to facilitate the unwinding of material from the spool or the winding of material about the spool. For these purposes, there exists a class of apparatus including a pair of stands which are positionable on opposite sides of the spool and are capable of lifting the opposite sides of the spool from the floor to a desired elevated position. Heretofore, however, the stands of the prior art apparatus have not possessed the capacity to support a spool having a diameter within a relatively large range of diameters thereby requiring that a number of different-sized stands be on hand if spools of different diameter are to be lifted and supported. Furthermore and inasmuch as a spool is more easily unwound if its axis of rotation is oriented substantially horizontally, stands of the prior art are commonly limited in their capacity to support a spool for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis if the underlying ground or floor is not substantially level. Still further, such prior art stands are commonly susceptible to tipping over during use.
It would be desirable to provide an apparatus including a pair of stands positionable on opposite sides of an item, such as a spool for holding windable material, for lifting the item from the floor to an elevated condition at which the item can be rotated during either a material unwinding process or a material winding process. Moreover, it would also be desirable to provide the pair of stands with a capability for lifting and supporting a spool within a relatively broad range of spool sizes (i.e. diameters) and which strongly resists a tendency to tip over during use.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved apparatus of the aforedescribed class for lifting and supporting an item, such as a spool for holding windable material, to facilitate the rotation of the item for the purpose of unwinding material from the item or winding material about the item.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such an apparatus which is well-suited for supporting an item for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis, even if the underlying ground or floor is not level.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide such apparatus which can be used to lift and support a spool having a diameter within a relatively large range of spool diameters.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such an apparatus which is uncomplicated in structure, yet effective in operation, is relatively lightweight and easy to use, resists tipping over during use and has a relatively high load-carrying capacity.